short film

Leave a comment Posted on short film

The Woman Who Loved A Tree

“Fucking amazing” – Marc Price, director of fucking amazing zombie film Colin.

Made in 48 Hours, from script to screen. I think it’s the best-looking film I’ve been involved in – it was great fun playing with the Sony EX3 camera we borrowed (even though it took us a little while to remember to focus the thing). The script’s ok – can see lots of little bits we could have improved, but it really was written on the fly so it is what it is, man. The performances – can’t fault ’em. Just brilliant all down the line. Anyway, hope you like it. CAUTION – it’s a bit rude…

2 Comments Posted on short film

The Woman Who Loved A Tree

The weekend before last Miss Laura Degnan and I made a film for the 48 Hour Film Project in Newcastle. At 7pm on Friday we were told we had to make a mockumentary (I know, but it was a totally random genre allocation) which included a mirror, a tree specialist called Pat Dobson and the line “I can see it on your face”, and we had exactly two days to do the whole thing.

At 10am on the Saturday we had nothing. Literally no idea what we were going to do. At 12pm on Saturday we had a carful of people driving up to Newcastle to shoot a heartwarming tale of love and leaves in Leazes Park, with an unfinished script and a brilliant camera which Laura and I had no idea how to use. And at 7pm on Sunday we handed in the seven minute epic. It’s got everything! Talking plants, a man watering himself, a tree with a tie on it and lots and lots of lovely swearing. Like, really good swearing. We’ll put it online soon, I reckon, so you can see what you think.

Anyway, last Sunday was the screening and awards ceremony and… We won! We got the audience award for best film, plus jury awards for best film, best writing, best directing and best actress for Beth Wilcock, who played the eponymous Woman. Plus we got special mentions for the music (Tree Lovin’ by Tim Marshall, written and recorded on the Sunday morning) and best actor (for me and my Hawaiian shirt). The film goes on to compete at the Miami International Film Festival in March. Can anyone lend me 37p towards the bus fare?

ps You can see the film here

1 Comment Posted on blather, short film

“52 Takes” Harris

So here’s me in a recording studio in Wootton Bassett doing ADR for the short film Pleasure Droid 3000 and earning the nickname James “52 Takes” Harris. (I also got James “Cock” Harris, but I’m not sure why.)

ADR stands for Automatic Dialogue Replacement – basically redubbing the lines you said while shooting the film. Often you’ll only be doing one or two lines, maybe ‘cos the sound went funny on set, maybe cos you didn’t say them properly, but for Pleasure Droid the whole lot had to be redone because we shot in an Infinity Room, a big, white room with no corners, which looked great but meant all the sound was really, really echoey.

It took 3 hours of standing in that booth to record the, oh, 11 or so lines I have in the film. Over, and over, and over again. Cos first you have to get the rhythm right, make sure you’re saying the words in time with the flapping lips of your past self. And then you have to try and do it like you’re acting, giving a performance, even though you’re stuck in a soundproof booth while the writer and director are saying things like: “more wistful, but with higher energy, like you’re talking to yourself, but could you project more?” or “yes, just like that but less shit”.

I had to say “Ah, the Pleasure Droid 3000. Excellent choice. So much more than a sex toy,” fifty two times, which apparently was some kind of record for the studio.

Stephen Scott-Hayward (writer, pest): Do it again, but could you be more bright on the “yeah”?
James: More bright on the “yeah”. Right.
Stephen: And less gay. Could you try not thinking about cock when you’re saying it?
James: (to the sound recordist): Alex, do you have a cunt filter on the mixing desk? I’m getting a lot of cunt in my cans.
Alex: …no-one’s ever said that in here before…

Leave a comment Posted on short film

Why Aren’t You Blogging, Harris?

Er… because I went to the future? Just spent two days in Bristol, acting in a short film written by Stephen Scott-Heyward (Gash, Le Cheval 2.1), directed by Oliver Purches and starring Jessica-Jane Clement. It’s called Pleasure Droid 3000, which is already causing some confusion as to what kind of film it is exactly, but it’s a short sci-fi comedy and it should be really nice, like a cross between Buck Rogers and the parrot sketch. Everyone else looked all space-age and beautiful, and I looked like… well, like you can see in the photo. Decrepit. But I had loads of fun, I met some lovely people and I got to deliver a Jack Bauer style neck-snapping on a malfunctioning robot, which made me very happy indeed.

The only direction I ever got given was “Palin. Think Palin. That’s great, but could you do it again only this time a little more… Paliny?”. How Palinesque is my performance? We’ll see. I never wanted to be an actor you know…

That title, though. It’s going to look great on my cv.

Leave a comment Posted on short film

Arc Shorts – The Films

I curated a short film night at the ARC in Stockton on Thursday. It went quite well, and lots of lovely people turned up. I just thought I’d put together links to all the films I screened because… well, mostly because why not?

But also because if you liked any of the films, I’d really love it if you got in touch with the filmmakers via these links and let them know. Once or twice a year I get an email from somebody just saying they’ve seen one of my films and enjoyed it, and it makes my bloody day. It’s a grand feeling, so why not make a filmmaker happy today?

The films were:

Gash by Rong
http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/films/p004pyyx

Le Cheval 2.0 by Stephen Scott-Heyward and Alex Kirkland
http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/films/p005f919

The Tales of Donkey the Whale 1 by Chris Corner

Monday Morning by John AC Allen

Head Shot by Dennis Heaton

Cold Calling by Nick Mackie
http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/films/p004tq6p

BigBoy 74 by Tom Marshall
http://www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork/films/p004qjcz

Please Do Not Put Any Ducks Into This Chute by Big Red Button
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgQAmGTC4cU

Six Shooter by Martin McDonagh (clip)

Plus! The three that got away (wanted to show them but couldn’t for various reasons)

Astronauts by Matthew Walker

Sunday by Nacho Vigalondo

How To Tell When A Relationship Is Over by Tony Roche

Leave a comment Posted on short film

The Curse of James

This tubby moustachioed loon has loomed on my horizon again. The Curse of Jeff was on in Newcastle at the weekend, at a Northern Screenwriter’s meeting at the Side Cinema. It’s nerve-wracking but fun watching a film you’ve made with an audience. It kind of reminds you why you do it, and I really needed reminding.

I’ll admit it was nice to be asked where I found the actor who played Jeff, and if I was still in touch with him. Well, we’ve fallen out a couple of times, but he’s still around, yeah…

Then a nice lady from an atheist film festival based in Florida got in touch, wanting to screen the Brummie mentaller. Apparently I’m promoting “reason, critical thinking and freedom of inquiry through the medium of film”. I thought I was just putting on a silly accent and having fun with a baseball bat, but maybe she’s right. I’m like Richard Dawkins, me.

She kept calling the film “The Curse of James”. Which interestingly is the name of a song I’d just wrote*, innit. Coincidence? Nah. That’s God’s hand at work, if you ask me. I’ll not tell her that.

*I’m supposed to be writing a film, hence lots of songs. I’m a doyle.

Leave a comment Posted on film making, opportunities, short film

Stingers 2009 Launched

NFM have quietly launched Stingers 2009, their lottery-funded new filmmakers scheme. Only 6 films being made this time.

Link.

Stingers Digital Short Film Scheme is broken into two strands this year – Mini-Stingers and Maxi-Stingers. Mini Stingers is open to new writing and directing talent. 3 short films will be made through the mini-stingers strand for a budget of £7,500 per film. Maxi Stingers is open to writers and directors with more experience. 3 short films will be made through the Maxi-Stingers strand with a budget of £12,500 per film.